The Center for Reproductive Rights commends the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for addressing economic inequality and the intersection with sexual and reproductive health and rights in the 2017 edition of its State of the World Population report.

ARTICLE 19's analysis of the third draft of Myanmar’s Interfaith Harmonious Coexistence Law finds that, notwithstanding some positive changes to the draft law, it remains fundamentally flawed from a freedom of expression perspective. Against the draft law’s own stated objectives, its reliance on broad censorship powers is profoundly misguided, and will not advance much-needed efforts to alleviate or prevent conflict. A new approach is needed to build respect for pluralism and diversity in Myanmar, and open space for dialogue that genuinely has the potential to prevent violence and discrimination.

A new analysis by Citizen Lab, of the University of Toronto, has confirmed that Mexican lawyers and human rights activists Karla Micheel Salas Ramírez and David Peña Rodríguez received messages containing links to the Pegasus spyware, between September and October 2015. The infection attempts add to the more than 90 messages identified as being linked to the use of this software, which is sold by the NSO Group, and has been acquired by at least three branches of the Mexican government and found to have been used against activists, journalists, legislators and international experts.

The President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights faces trial tomorrow, 7 August, for tweeting about the Yemen war and torture in Bahrain. He faces up to 15 years. He was sentenced in absentia following an unfair trial to two years in prison for giving media interviews on 10 July. Rajab has not been allowed to speak to his family since 15 July. Rajab has been held largely in solitary confinement in the first nine months of his detention. This led to his health deteriorating in April, and he is currently recovering in the Ministry of Interior clinic.

This briefing explores some of the developments and concerns for Internet rights under the moderate administration of Rouhani following his reelection during the 19 May Presidential election. This is the second in a series of quarterly briefings that will continue ARTICLE 19’s reporting on Iran’s Internet from our Tightening the Net series, with the aim of documenting the changes affecting online rights in Iran. This report covers Internet freedom in Iran from mid-May to the end of June 2017.